Snow Leads To 20-Car Pileup In Central Wis.

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — A winter storm dumped up to 11 inches of snow in parts of Wisconsin on Tuesday, with wind-whipped snow contributing to a massive pileup involving about 20 vehicles in the central part of the state. One person was hurt, authorities said, but no one died.

Limited visibility and blowing and drifting snow combined for a “perfect storm” for the afternoon crash, Marathon County sheriff’s Lt. Sean McCarthy said Tuesday night.

It started shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Township of Knowlton, near the Marathon-Portage county line. Northbound Interstate 39 was closed but has since reopened, Wisconsin State Patrol Sgt. Bryan Wrycha said.

Eight to 11 inches of snow fell in central and northeast Wisconsin, meteorologist Tom Helman of the National Weather Service in Green Bay said.

“Winds are now the problem here — a lot of blowing, drifting snow,” Helman said, up to 35 mph in east-central Wisconsin.

About 3 to 5 inches of snow fell from Green Lake County to Sheboygan County north to Green Bay, said weather service meteorologist Sarah Marquardt in Sullivan. Winds gusted up to 35 mph across southern Wisconsin late Tuesday afternoon, she said.

Cold will settle in behind the system. Wednesday’s highs are forecast to reach only the teens statewide.

Freedom Area and Seymour school districts are among those that closed Tuesday.